


DollFace

by MJangel11



Category: Gotham (TV)
Genre: Angst, Batman - Freeform, Cameron Monaghan - Freeform, Death, F/M, Fanfic, Fanfiction, Fluff, Gore, Gotham, Gotham City Police Department, Graphic, Killing, NSFW, Oral, Other, Sex, Smut, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-26
Updated: 2019-03-29
Packaged: 2019-12-18 10:20:19
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,741
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18247862
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MJangel11/pseuds/MJangel11
Summary: *Jerome Valeska fanfic* (also on Wattpad)Book 1 in a series- not finished.Annabella Kingsworth's life is in the shitter. Not to mention she has to go back to the place of her childhood and relive her past for the night. It's not until she bumps into a certain redhead, and rekindles an old friendship, that things start to get interesting. A few dead bodies later, she thinks she might be falling for him again.





	1. Haly's Circus

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! This is the same fic that is on Wattpad, I just wanted to also put it on here. This isn't finished but i will keep updating on both here and Wattpad.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
(Annabella's P.O.V)

 

Light trickled through the opening in the blinds and flooded the bedroom. The faint crackling of the vinyl record player switching in between Patsy Cline songs was being drowned out by the harsh footsteps that were being made by the teenage girl storming across the room. Her brown eyes glued to the floor and her brown wavy hair bouncing as she paced. I sat on my bed staring at the mural on my wall. I heard clicking in my ears but I was to zoned out to pay any attention to it. I was brought back to the real world by a flick on the head.

"LISTEN TO ME YOU DIPSHIT!"

"Ow that hurt!" I held my forehead in pain. The figure standing over me had a look of frustration across her face as furrows appeared on her tan forehead.

"YOU PROMISED YOU WOULD GO!!!!" 

My best friend Kristen wouldn't stop her whining. I had promised a few weeks ago that I would go to the carnival with her. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE carnivals, but not right after a break up. Johnny and I had been dating for almost a year and a half now, and I thought we were happy. I met him not long before we started dating. We really hit it off, and I thought we were in love. But of course, he got ripped away from me by a dumb blonde in an extremely short skirt. It seems like men these days only love with their eyes. I sat on the edge of my bed toying with the pink frilly ends of my Lolita dress. I was contemplating through my heartbreak whether or not I should go. 

"Pleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleaseplease" She was on her knees pleading for me to go. I did promise her, and I shouldn't make her suffer any more than I am right now. I furrowed my eyebrows as I gave into her pleas with ease.

"Fiiiiine I'll go" I dragged myself off the bed and got my shoes on. 

"YAY!!!" She hopped up off of the floor and skipped over to grab her jacket off of my chair.

"Hey Anna, how long has it been since you've been to a carnival?"

"Six years give or take..." 

Last time I went to the carnival, I was with my dad. What people don't know is that he used to work in Haly's circus. He was a strong man, and a damn good one from what I've heard. I would help out, once I was old enogh. When I started to grow out my hair and play dress up, the ringman decided that he could squeeze a few bucks out of me. They set me up with a ribbon dance routine, and I spent years performing there. We had to leave when I was 12; I don't really remember what is was that caused the incident, but I was never allowed to talk about what happened. Ever. I had all but forgotten about that part of my life and now I might have to relive it.

"Anna..... ANNABELLA!!!" Kristen snapped her fingers in front of my face because I zoned out.

"Oh yeah coming..."

I really didn't want to go, but a part of me really wanted to go back. A part of me wanted to see what changed and what stayed the same. Like, my subconscious was pushing me towards that place, I don't know. 

I slip my feet into my shoes and grab my jacket, and take a deep breath before I head out the door.

 

\-------------------------------------------------------

 

Haly's Circus hasn't changed much in the years I've been away. The old, tattered red and white striped tents were still standing tall and weary. The fairy lights were strung up to try to lighten the ominous gray Gotham ambiance. The sound of popcorn popping and games being played rung through the air as old carnie music floated eerily behind it. The cold October air nipped at us as we walked towards the entrance. Kristen and I wander arms locked into the circus. The lights are blinding and the smell of cotton candy fills the air. Everything is exactly the way I left it. 

We walk up to a vendor to look at the things he is selling. Kristen sees a play laser gun and grabs it, then chucks cash at the guy. She has always been drawn to weapons, so this didn't surprise me. After figuring out how to use it, being the five year old she is, she starts pointing the beam at people's butts. We walk around aimlessly, playing games, eating food, and winning stuffed animals that we shoved into her backpack for safekeeping. As we get closer and closer to the main tent, I can feel eyes following me. I know we are surrounded by a sea of people, but I can distinctly sense one pair of curious eyes keeping track of my every move.

Kristen continues to shoot lasers at random butts, when all of a sudden, she stops mid laugh and stops in her tracks. With my arm still linked to her, I almost fall as I snap backwards to where she is standing. With a puzzled expression on my face as to why she looked like she was about to shit herself, I look up and gasp. I start laughing hysterically as I realize what just happened. Kristen pointed the laser at a butt that decided to get nosy and have its owner turn around, and that owner was none other than... Gerard Way; Kristen's celebrity crush ever since she was able to speak. She immediately blushed and got all flustered as their gaze met each other. She focused her eyes onto the ground and chucked the laser away. He just looked at her and smiled;

"Hey" he said with a smile. I look up at Kristen and I can see she is internally falling apart at the seems. She balances some of her weight onto me as her legs turn to jello.

"H-h-h-hi" she started to awkwardly chuckle and swing from heel to toe on her feet. I could tell she attempted to act cool, but she failed miserably.

"Do you want to go watch the show?" He asked all of a sudden. I start to get the feeling that Gerard was taking a liking to her, considering she is adorable, pretty, funny, and wearing a glow-in-the-dark skeleton hoodie. Kristen just stood there with a blank stare and her jaw on the floor. I nudged her and said "Of course she would Mr. Way!" I shoved her into his side and the minute they made contact, she almost melted into a puddle. She was in fully activated fangirl mode. He locked arms with her and gave me a nod. I smiled as I watched them walk away. Kristen in her own little world as they walked into the main tent. God she is lucky.

I immediately turned my attention to the gigantic carousel to my right and booked it to the entrance. God, I love carousels! Especially this one that I rode religiously as a child. I hopped on the platform and secretly looked for the bright pink horse I would always ride on as a little girl. Without fail, I would always ride on that horse. I walked around the ride until I found it, my horse. I swung my bright blue flat over the other side and got on it with ease. I looked an the saddle, and it still had "A❤️" scratched into it. I smiled to myself and held onto the pole. As the ride started I closed my eyes and hummed along to the little circus song that was coming out of the speakers, I still remembered it from my childhood. Round and round and round. 

The wind was whirling around as memories of my youth started to flicker in the deep subconscious of my mind. Memories that I buried a long time ago. Lights, lollipops, record players, ballerina flats, fire, broken beer bottles, screaming. I was so focused on my thoughts, that I forgot where I was. I felt like I was floating through an empty space. That's when I heard something... A laugh. My eyes shot open and I looked around;  I have heard that laugh before. I know it from somewhere, but I just can't put my finger on it.

I whipped my head around, looking in all directions for the familiar source of this sound. The ride started to slow down and all the smeared blurs started to become actual people and objects again. Anything. Anything. All I need is one little clue to trigger the memories that are on the tip of my tongue. I got off the horse and started to walk towards the exit. 

That's when I saw it. 

Red hair. It was like a flame, a little flicker in the crowd of people, but I knew it was him. He was walking away from the ride when I saw him. I just knew it was him. I don't know how, but I did. I know this person. I don't know where I've seen him, but I have a gut feeling that I have met him before. I quickly sprint through the gate and follow him. Every bone in my body is telling me to turn the other way and to go into the main tent. Everything is screaming at me to just turn around and walk away, but I can't. A part of me remembers his smile, his embrace, his warmth and love. It's been very rare that I have ever felt love in my life, so I need to know this person whom I can't remember. 

He walks up to a little area with a bunch of old tents, but what stood out to me was the funhouse. I stop in my tracks and look up in amazement. The gigantic clown mouth as the entrance was pretty cool. As I was standing there admiring the funhouse, I feel a pair of hands snake around my waist and spin me around. I shrieked a little as I got whipped around to meet the most gorgeous pair of emerald green eyes that I have ever seen. I look at the boy who is holding me, and goddamn was he beautiful. Flame-like ginger hair, emerald green eyes, perfect freckles, a wicked pearly-white smile, a chiseled face that could sell for millions, and due to how his grip felt on my waist, he was probably pretty buff too. I just stood there staring into his eyes completely hypnotized.

"Well hellooo..." he says with a mischievous chuckle. He pushed me backwards till my back hit the wall of the funhouse.

"Never thought I'd see you again. God, you just as beautiful as I remember." He looked at me in a way that made me feel as if I was a new toy.

"W-who are you?" I asked with curiosity. Failing to control my heavy breathing.

"You seriously don't remember me Bella?" How did he know my old nickname? No one calls me that anymore...

He knows who I am.


	2. Well... I'm Jerome...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> SUP HOES! Okay, so no matter how many times I rewrite this book, I always think the first couple chapters are trash. Please bare with me ok. I promise this book will get better and better with each chapter, I just need to build the book up a bit. Things will start to get interesting soon. I promise.

Annabella's POV

 

"H-how do you know my name? Who are you? You look familiar..." 

He furrows his eyebrows and then straightens up...

"Oh how rude of me. Let me introduce myself. Or I guess...reintroduce myself..."

He backed up and gave me a bow. 

"I'm Jerome..., and you are Annabella. You used to live here when you were younger. Oh yeah ... you worked here too. Your dad's name is Lucas. He was that strong man for a decent amount of time. Heavy drinker, I heard he used to beat his kid a lot." He leaned into me like he was telling me a secret. I'm surprised I don't remember someone as snarky as him. "I remember hearing that because he and my mom used to... uh..." 

"OKAY OKAY OKAY Too much detail... so we knew each other?" I can't believe I didn't remember him. I mean, a guy that cute? I didn't notice I was staring till I saw him smirking at me. 

"I guess you're trying to figure that out huh?"

"Sorry..." I started to blush when he took a step closer to me.

"God...I am surprised that you don't remember me... I'm the one who did cover your ass after all..." he started to trail off.

That's when it clicked. This is my best friend from when I was little. It wasn't that I wanted to forget him, I was forced to. Every time I would mention his name after the incident, I would get a slap across the face, a belt to the back, or a beer bottle to the wall behind me. I shuddered at the memories as they came flooding back.

"There it is..." he mumbled as he looked into my eyes. He was looking for something. He frantically searched my face for any sign of remembrance.  

Everything came back. It hit me like a truck. This guy stuck with me through everything. Thick and thin. He even went up against my father when he would yell at me, as if he didn't get beaten up enough. Oh god, and his mother. Ugh. Such a horrible woman. She would look at us, merely twelve year olds, and accuse us of "doing it" and she would spit venom at us as she stumbled on, vodka bottle in hand. I remember the nights he spent sitting on the lid of my toilet seat at three in the morning as I cleaned up the cuts and bruises that his mom littered his porcelain skin with. He would go on and on about how he was gonna get her back one day. I always told him that I would back him up with that plan when the day came. It never did, but I just wanted him to know that he wasn't alone. That's all he ever knew, he was always alone. I never forgave myself for leaving him here with that bitch. Leaving him here with nothing. It broke my heart so much that I had no choice but to forget about him. I looked up at Jerome and then I got this sudden urge to do something...

I hugged him.

Being a small girl in my little Lolita dress, I hesitantly wrapped my arms around him and gave him a gentle hug. I didn't know exactly how he was gonna react to it, but to my surprise, he hugged me back. He was a little tense at first, but he relaxed as he brought his arms up around me. It was a warm, gentle hug that lasted a good minute. It was like he knew what I was thinking and the both of us didn't need to say a word. It felt familiar. It made me feel safe.

"Well now since we're friends again, would you like to go and watch the show? I still remember your favorite place to sit. Front row, section D, the seat with the arm rest you colored pink with a sharpie..."

Wow. I look at him and give him a warm smile filled with adoration. He remembered.

"You remember that?"

"Hell yeah! We would sit there every show drinking root beer floats." 

He smirked and chuckled at the memory. We did that every single day. Then we would go play hide and seek in the funhouse. The one that I'm leaning on right now, in fact.

"Hey remember we used to play hide and seek in here?" I said pointing to the abandoned attraction. I don't think they used it anymore. He just looked at me with a knowing look and smiled sinisterly... it was a playful expression that had something hiding behind it. Something bone-chilling that caught me by surprise, but for some reason, I found it cute. Also scary, but mostly cute.

"YOU HAVE 30 SECONDS GO GO GO!!!" He shouted and I took off.

I was laughing hysterically as I ran into the building. It was pitch black in there so I immediately had to find the power lever. I skimmed the wall with my hands until I felt a lever and yanked it. Immediately, the place lit up with neon colors and bright strobe lights. Some cheesy carnival music began to play as I sprinted through the daze maze. I was surrounded by mirrors and I had no clue where to go. I spun around and around looking in every direction until I found the way out. I got to a tunnel room and began to crawl through. 

After a good minute of crawling. I found the escape and ran into an open space. It was my favorite room; The Galaxy room. The ceiling was littered with a nebula and there were thousands of tiny stars. I found a table in the middle of the room, where Mr. Cicero usually sat to do his psychic readings, and crawled under. I sat with my knees brought up to my face and I stayed as quiet as humanly possible. My pink hair swaying silently as I positioned myself so that I could not be seen. I waited, and waited. Where is he? Did he leave? Maybe he gave up... then all of a sudden...

*YANK*

My ankles are grabbed and I am pulled out from under the table. I slide across the floor with a squeal and I look up to see Jerome holding my ankles laughing like crazy. 

"Found you." 

He looked at his hands and noticed he was still holding my ankles. Awkwardly, he placed them back on the ground and he helped me up. 

"How did you-"

"You're a loud hider". He answered with a stone cold expression and tone. Then, he broke into laughter. I smiled at his juvenile laughter. He held out his hand and gave me a little wink. 

"Shall we?"

I nodded and grabbed his hand. It is big compared to mine, not to mention he is six feet tall. I find that very funny compared to my measly five feet, two inches. I giggled a little.

"What?"

"Your so tall and... well..." 

I held up my hand and put it against his. His hand was easily 2x the size of mine.

"Well then... that means it's easy to do this!!!" 

He picked me up bridal style and started back the way we came. I was so red from blushing and giggling that I looked like a sunburnt tomato. He looked at my face and chuckled. 

"You look cute when you blush..." he said confidently. He looked down at me and gave me a big dorky grin and giggled a little under his breath. God, was he trying to killing me?!

When we got outside, I noticed my friend Kristen walking out of the tent with Gerard. She saw me and started to laugh. 

"Who's this and why is he carrying you? Did you hurt your leg again?" An expression of concern wiped across her face in a flash and she picked up the pace so that she could examine my leg faster. She walks up and grabbed my ankle, taking it closer to her as Jerome shook his head and offered to put me down. I swat Kristen's hand away and let Jerome place me on my feet. 

"No, This is my friend Jerome. I just bumped into him a bit ago. We were friends when we were kids." She sent me a look worth a million words. Mostly the look said; 'girl you better snatch him up before I do.' 

"Okay we'll meet me at the car. We have to go before my mom realizes that it's past my curfew." Kristen winked at me and dragged Gerard towards the car. Most likely to sneak him into her house without her mom knowing. She's always doing stuff like that. I shook my head and smiled as I turned back to Jerome. I don't want to say goodbye again. That's too hard. I just found him again. 

"So I guess I have to go..."

"Y-you could come back, you know. To the circus? You used to love it and you could crash in my trailer and-"

"Jerome. You know that I would love to, but I can't. I have one more year of school left and I can't just drop everything and leave."

"Do you have a job?"

"A job?" I looked at him with a puzzled expression.

"Yeah, a job. Maybe you could work in the circus. The ringleader was just talking about staying in Gotham for a couple of months. This is the most popular spot we set up. We make the most money here, you know that. Come on Anna!!! I'll ask him if you can help out around the circus and maybe you can even get paid extra."

I look at the ground and contemplate whether getting mixed back up in my past would be a good idea. I look up at him and look into his eyes. I can see the desperation flickering across his face. He is depending on me to say yes. I know this boy, he has nothing. I have already abandoned him once, and I don't think I have it in me to do it again. 

"Please..." he mutters in a barely audible whisper. He looks towards the ground waiting to hear my response. That broke me. I can't say no. I just can't...

"Okay fine. I'll come back tomorrow and apply for a job here."

His face completely lit up.

"Okay great!!!"

Kristen honked the horn and signaled for me to hurry it up.

"I have to go..."

His smile fell a little and he looked at the ground. I felt bad so I did something to cheer him up. I kissed him on the cheek. He immediately blushed and looked up at me. I winked at him and started to walk away. All of a sudden he grabbed my arm and yanked my back. He kissed my cheek and then I started to blush.

"See ya tomorrow, dollface!" He gave me a wink and let go of my arm. I smiled sweetly and started to walk away again. I was blushing like crazy as I knew Kristen and probably Gerard watched the entire thing. I got to the car and all I heard was whistles.

"Damn girl you get it!" She teased. Gerard just sat in the back seat humming. He shot a glance towards me and chuckled.

"Tell your boy toy to stop judging me..." She looked at me with widened eyes and she punched me in the shoulder as she blushed. Gerard leaned forward and looked straight at Kristen.

"Oh so I'm your boy toy huh?" He smirked as she pushed him by the forehead back into the back seat. She diverted her attention back at me.

"You and that ginger would make a cute couple. What was his name? Je... Jer..."

"Jerome"

"Yeah. Not to mention he is so your type."

"Stop it!"

"Ok. We need to get home anyways. I'll drop you off."

She stepped on the gas and we sped away. As we pulled out I was Jerome walking into his trailer with the biggest smile plastered onto his face. That smile is because of me, I thought. That made me all warm and fuzzy inside. For the rest of the night, all I thought about was ginger hair and emerald eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Haiii! So, I have a few ideas for where I want the book to go, so get ready cause shits about to go down.


	3. Hired

(Anna's P.O.V)

I woke up pretty early the next day. Which was pretty odd considering I was up until 3:00 am last night. My eyes adjusted to the sunlight poring into my baby pink and lavender room. I got up slowly and let my feet hit the floor with a little patter. I smiled to myself realizing what I had to get done today. Today, I get a job at Haly's circus. More importantly, I get a job where I can hang out with Jerome all day.

I got up with a hum and glided to my bathroom. One of the things I love about mornings was that I would get up, and right away I would do my makeup. I'm not talking good about Victoria's Secret supermodel makeup, I mean my makeup. A lot of people think I put it on because I think I look ugly. I mean I do, but that's not why I put it on. I always feel like a new person whenever I wear different makeup. I put on my pastel purple and pink eyeshadow and I fill in my eyebrows with a teal color. Most people would say I look like a freak, but I'm going to apply for a job at the circus so why not? When I am done smearing a lavender color onto my lips, I run to my closet and pull out one of my favorite outfits: 

 

After I was done changing into my outfit, I realized that I had to face one of the shittiest parts of the day; Actually interacting with the monster that I live with. Most people are scared of a monster under their bed or a demon in their closet as a kid. For me, it was my father. Don't get me wrong, there was a point where my dad was actually nice. When I was younger my father used to call me his "little princess", and he would do anything and almost everything for me. He was so respected and loved in Haly's. He was so happy. But then, when we had to leave, he changed. He was never the same. He is just a cold-hearted douchebag now. Even though I have already accepted the fact that he will ever change, that's not even the worst part. Oh no. Not even close. He gets angry, VERY angry sometimes, and alcohol doesn't help. He works as a mailman now and I can't tell you how many times I have gotten complaints from people saying that their mail always has a lingering smell of Brandy on it. He makes me sick to my stomach. On top of all of that, he blames me for everything. He blames me for my mom leaving, and for him having to leave the circus. That's another problem in itself. He will never let me get a job in Haly's. I can't tell him, and I won't. I will tell him it's a job at a movie theatre or something. He believes anything. 

I walk downstairs to find him passed out at the kitchen table holding a almost-empty bottle of Bourbon. His pick of poison. Oh the things I wish I could do to him. I would never admit it out loud but I would love to just grab one of our dull kitchen knives and- wait... No. My dad might be a bad man, but I would never... would I? 

I walked up to him and grabbed the bottle of Bourbon out of his limp and calloused hands. Even though it has been years since he stopped lifting weights for his act, he still had the scars from his hard labor littering his body. I carry the bottle over to the counter and take a swig out of it myself before capping it and putting it back into the cabinet. Far from his reach. I heard a groan and a chair rustle behind me. Great, the devil's up.

"WHAT THE FUUUUUCK." He whines as he stretches. 

"You're gonna be late for work, papa. Get up and get showered."

"Don't tell me what to fucking do." He glared at me while just sitting there. 

"What?" I said while leaning against the marbled counter.

"Make me breakfast, that's what."

"Go shower and it'll be ready when you get out." He just rolls his eyes and drags himself into the hallway. I hear him mutter from the hallway;

"You sound just like ya goddamn mother. That Bitch. Thanks for nothing."

I felt the tears streaming down my face in frustration. I honestly don't even know why the littlest things could trigger me. What could she have possibly done to him? I don't even remember what she looks like! Her voice, her scent, her smile. Nothing! Absolutely nothing! He actually tells me that she never loved me. How could he? I grab the eggs out of the dim-lit fridge and crack them onto the sizzling pan. 

SIIZZZZ

"SON OF A BITCH!!!" I yank my hand back to reveal I little burn on my left pointer finger. I run it under the cold water while I stare out the window. I could see the cars passing down below from the kitchen window. We live pretty far into the city. We have a little apartment next to an antique store that this old lady has been running for almost 75 years. She's sweet, though. She gives me the jewelry that no one bothers to look twice at. In return I sweep her store once in a while. 

I smell that the eggs are cooked, so I turn around and sweep them onto a plate. I drop the plate onto the table and grab a cup to fill with orange juice. As I was setting the glass down on the table, I heard the sound of feet thundering down the stairs. My father comes stumbling into the kitchen, probably still hungover as shit, and plops down in the seat in front of me. He immediately starts to scarf down his breakfast without so much as a 'thank you'. His wet overgrown hair was dangling over the plate as he finished the food in 10 seconds flat. He looked over at my plate that I had barely touched, since I wasn't that hungry anyways.

"You gonna eat that?" He grabs the plate and puts it on top of his empty one. I roll my eyes and then look down at my watch to check the time.

"I gotta go." I said hesitantly as he looked up at me suspiciously.

"Where the hell you gotta be at this hour?"

"I'm applying for a job. I need the money since you drink away most of it." I said sort of trying to stand my ground but failing miserably.

"Fine... where you gonna get a job? Not like anyone would hire you lookin' like that." He said as he eyed my outfit and makeup.

"I was gonna look at this movie theatre and maybe a store or two."

"Whatever. Have fun getting mugged." Like he'd care. Huh. Please.

"Bye" I said as I grabbed my bag and practically ran out the door.

\-----***Time jump cause I'm magical bitches***-----

 

I pull up to the carnival, and I immediately see that it is already packed at 9:30 in the freaking morning. As I walk up to the ticket booth, I asked the man where I can find his employer. I explained that I was looking for a job, and he pointed me in the direction of the main tent and said;

"You'll probably find him in there. Ask for Al."

I gave him a nod and was on my way. All of a sudden I got super nervous. I didn't know what I was gonna say or ask him. I didn't have any paperwork or stuff like that. I just hope when he hears my name he will know who I am. Well, at least the good side of my last name. I walk through the entrance, and I look around to see if I could find an employee. I spot a performer as she was in the middle of stretching. I walked up to her and cleared my throat;

"Umm, hi... do you know where I can find Al?"

"Who are you?" She stood up in her sparkly unitard and sized me up, which I found pretty bold of her.

"Um I'm Annabella, I was looking to see if I could get a jo-"

"He's over there." She pointed a long, manicured finger over to a big man in a ringleader getup. I should have guessed.

"Thank you." I smiled and resisted the urge to flip her off for being such a priss. I walked over the big, happy-looking man and tried to think of what to say.

"Um excuse me?" I said hesitantly. He turned around and smiled as he answered me.

"Hi ma'am, how may I help you?"

"Are you Al?"

"Why yes I am, how can I help you?" I racked my brain for a professional approach to this.

"Hi I'm Annabella, I was looking to see if you had a spot open in your circus for me to possibly get a job?" He looked at me funny.

"Now why would such a pretty, young girl like you want to work in a circus?" 

"Well, um, I thought it might be... fun." It was taking every ounce of strength in me not to turn around and walk out of this tent.

"You look very familiar. What did you say your name was again?" He looked at me like he was trying to put a face to a name, and I knew it wasn't going to be long before he knew exactly who I was.

"Annabella. Annabella Kingsworth." His eyes lit up like a Christmas tree.

"Oh! You're Lucas' little girl! Oh my goodness look at you! You have gotten so big! And just so gorgeous!" He took my hand and held it between his two large ones. He looked at me as if I was his own daughter. He probably would have been better than the piece of shit I got stuck with. Then I wouldn't have had to leave Jerome here all alone. I would have picked that option in a heartbeat.

"Of course we have room for you! But you have to promise that nothing like what hap-"

"Oh believe me. That won't happen..." I sort of got embarrassed having to bring that up in front of my soon-to-be-boss.

"Well lets see... what are your talents?"

"I can... sing?"

"Oh perfect! I know just the job! You can sing before the shows to get the crowds attention and to give them time to sit down. You can sing in the picnic table area. We need some entertainment there, and your beautiful voice will do the trick! Also from what I see I suppose you are good with makeup?..."

"Yes..." I said confidently.

"Well then, you can also help do the performers makeup before shows. We could use all the hands we could get." I was super excited to start. Not only will I have a super cool job, but I get to be away from my father more. Most importantly, I get to spend almost every single day with Jerome, which I was very happy about.

"Oh thank you so much sir!"

"Please Anna, call me Al... we're practically family. Oh, When you get home, tell your father I said hi, and that I miss his sense of humor. He was truly one of our best."

"Ok. Thanks again!" I smiled as we parted, and immediately I had a new mission for the day; Find Jerome.

I walked out of the tent, and started to just look around. I walked past all of the concession stands and rides until I found the sideshow tent. My curiosity got the best of me so I decided to go in. I walked through the little curtains that separated each act, and I was completely in awe. There were your usual Siamese twins, bearded woman, and blind fortune teller. I almost fell out of my chair when I realized it was still Mr. Cicero doing the readings. I thought he would be dead by now at his age. Then I got to the snake dancer. I just peeked in a tiny bit because I didn't want to risk her seeing me, and by her, I mean Lila Valeska. The biggest bitch I have ever met in my entire life. She was the epitome of a drunken, old whore. All she used to do was drink, beat up Jerome, and sleep around. As I was walking out of the tent, I spotted orange hair in the distance stealing cotton candy from one of the concession stands. I smirked as I walked over to him. He had his back turned to me, so he didn't know anyone was around at the time. I stood there with my arms crossed over my chest.

"Naughty, naughty, naughty..." I said with a devious tone in my voice. He immediately spun around and gave me a huge toothy grin stretching from ear to ear. He took a step towards me, and my breath hitched a little when he leaned down to whisper in my ear.

"If you think that's naughty..." I chuckled at his perverted joke, and took the opportunity to snag a piece of cotton candy from him. We started to walk around the fairgrounds, and we ended up behind his trailer. He plopped down on the patch of grass in front of the front steps, and I gently sat down beside him. No one was in sight so we could talk openly.

"So, did you talk to Al?" He looked so much younger while he was eating his cotton candy. I found it so adorable.

"Yeah, I'm the new makeup artist and side entertainment..." I looked up to find him staring at me. 

"Entertainment?"

"I sing..." The moment I said that, his eyes shot open like a little kid on a sugar high. Which, at the moment, he actually was. 

"Let's hear it!" He straightened up and put his chin in his hand like a 5 year old while listening intently. I froze as I tried to pick a decent song and started to sing;

If you got leavin' on your mind,  
Tell me now get it over,  
Hurt me now get it over,  
If you got leavin' on your mind.  
If there's a new love in your heart,   
Tell me now get it over,  
Hurt me now get it over,   
If there's a new love in your heart...

I looked up to see Jerome staring at my with a look that I couldn't quite read on his freckled face. I never realized how attractive he was until now. It kind of made me blush since he was looking at me for a solid 2 minutes now.

"Wow..." He looked at me in complete adoration, cocking his head to the side a little.

"Oh come on I wasn't that good. My dad always says that my voice sucks, which it does..."

"Yeah well, your dad's an asshole..." I giggled when he said that, and he looked at me and chuckled himself.

"I like your laugh. It's sinister." He said with the biggest smirk on his face.

"How is giggling sinister?" I honestly was so lost with how he thought my giggling was evil.

"Because it hides your true colors. It hides your dark side." I looked at him and saw that there was a little spark in his eyes. He started leaning in a little bit, and it made my stomach do flips. 

"So your saying I have a dark side?" I questioned. My voice wavering a little. He kept leaning in closer and closer to the point our noses were almost touching. I could feel his hot breath hitting my face as he flicked his eyes down to my purple-painted lips as I did the same. 

"Everyone has one, Dollface... everyone is evil... some are just better at hiding it..." His voice trailed off as his green eyes met my curious grey ones. Inside I was screaming 'JUST KISS ME ALREADY!!!' And I guess he saw that in my eyes because, without hesitation, he dove at my face and kissed me as hard as he could.

I actually squeaked a little when his lips met mine, causing him to let out a muffled laugh against my lips. I was jumping for joy inside, but on the outside I was trying to close any possible space in between the two of us. He grabbed the back of my neck and the small of my back while my hands snaked around his neck. I was practically in his lap, which was an entirely new thing for me considering Johnny and I never intensely made out like this. Our lips moved in sync and his lips felt comforting against mine. The only way to describe this kiss was perfect. It's like our lips were molded just for each other and they wouldn't fit kissing anyone else. We didn't part for a good 2 minutes, but then we decided that we might need oxygen. We pulled apart for a few moments to catch our breath, and he just looked at me and said with an out-of-breath voice;

"Goddamn." He raked his eyes over me and smiled. I started to giggle again as he wiped the purple lipstick off of his mouth. We were just going to continue our previous activity when we heard footsteps coming towards us. We both panicked and I fixed my lipstick and hair while Jerome made sure to wipe the rest of my lipstick off of his mouth. We went back to acting like we were just sitting there telling jokes when the girl I previously spoke to when I was looking for Al appeared around the corner of the trailer. 

"Hey Isabella, Al said you need to get to the big top to help with makeup ASAP." I rolled my eyes and corrected her. 

"It's Annabella, and ok..." I got up and was about to walk away when I turned around and snagged another piece of cotton candy. I looked up at Jerome, and he winked at me which almost made me kiss him again. I made sure that chick was out of sight when I turned back around and gave him one last peck in the lips before walking away. I could hear him chuckle as I walked away. I mentally gave myself a high-five, because I knew that if I turned around his eyes would be glued on me. I never really had any self esteem, but for some reason, Jerome gave me all the confidence in the world. I liked that about him. He was so easy to be around. I thought for a moment about what he said. About having a dark side. I couldn't help but think he might have one. Who knows, maybe I do too. There was something about him that made it seem like he was hiding something dark, but that wouldn't change anything. I would still care about him, and he might care about me too.

Who knows.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, I'm gonna post double chapters today to get the story moving along. How are you guys liking it so far? I promise it's gonna get a lot more interesting. Just hang in there.


	4. Take Me To The Circus

(Anna's P.O.V)

I cautiously shuffle into the gigantic striped tent scanning around for Al. I trotted over to the big top hat my eyes rested upon, and I tapped him lightly on the shoulder. He spun around and immediately greeted me with a large smile.

"Ahh, there you are Anna! We need you backstage for makeup. You can start with the clowns and then the fire breathers, and then finally the Grayson's. But be careful, the Grayson's can be a little difficult to handle." He chuckled and beckoned for me to follow in the direction he started to move in. 

He led me into a little area towards the back of the tent where there were mirrors, chairs, and enough makeup to fill a swimming pool. I pulled out one of the seats as I saw a rather tall man walk towards me. He looked absolutely miserable. He just glared down at me while plopping down into the chair.

"Clown" 

I nodded my head and proceeded to smear the white grease paint all over his scruffy face. He looked drunk, and I could feel the memories of my dad in his drunken state start to drift around my head. I carefully drew on red lips in a stretched out smile and I colored his eyelids in blue. I stepped back to examine my work and hummed in satisfaction. He looked in the mirror and jumped at the sight of him.

"Cool" he smirked and gave me a nod as he walked away. 

I gave myself a pat on the back and continued to paint exotic looks on random faces: The dancers, other clowns, and performers. Then I had to paint the Graysons, and holy shit, was Al right. They were some of the snobbiest people I have ever met in my life. The dad, Owen I think, was pompous, the mom was a total bitch, and their children weren't any better. There were five kids. Three girls and two boys. The three girls were all teenagers and were the definition of stuck up. They sat there, backs as straight as a railing, glaring me down as I carefully applied the glitter to their temples. They would all huff and strut away without a single thank you. One of the sons was only about five or six. He hopped up on the chair and gave me a big buck-toothed smile as I started to powder his face. He said "Thank you!" with a wave, which warmed my heart as he skipped away. Just when I thought I was done, a brunette guys about my age came running over and plopped himself down into the chair. 

"Hi gorgeous, I need just the Grayson makeup..." he looked me up and down and winked at me. I blushed and continued to paint his face. As I was carefully making swirls across his cheeks I noticed he was looking at my ass. That REALLY irritated me. I pulled back and glared at him.

"Word of advice, if you're gonna try to leave a good impression on a girl, maybe don't look at her ass." He scoffed and got up.

 

 

"Jeez, no need to be such a bitch." He chuckled and started to walk away when I felt him grab my ass. I spun around and smacked him as hard as I could in the back of the head. He just chuckle and continued to walk away like it didn't even phase him. I could feel my blood start to boil and it took every ounce of energy not to snap his neck. I heard footsteps coming towards me so I went back to packing up the makeup. I looked behind me to see Al standing there. He cleared his threat and began to speak.

"We need you in the picnic area..."

"Why may I ask?" He gave me a funny look as he responded.

"That's where you will be singing." I started to panic, I didn't know I would be singing today. I sort of zoned out for a second.

"Y-You're gonna h-have me sing t-today?"

"Mhmm" he nodded his head.

"But only songs you know of course! Tell our musicians anything and they can play it." He reassured me.

I took a sigh of relief and followed him outside and across the property to a big area encased by concession stands with dozens of picnic tables that were already pretty full. I walked over to the side of the stage where I was greeted by the same girl as before. She smiled at me and dragged me up onto the mini platform that was being used as a stage. She introduced me to the drummer and guitarists and pianist. 

"Just write down the song you would like to do and we will play them for you. Next time if you have original songs we can also play them if you make sheet music for them." I immediately perked up when they said that. I mean, I do write songs, so I could bring them next time. I wrote down a bunch of oldies that I think would be suitable for the circus. Like Patsy Cline, Nina Simone, and Elvis. I sat at one of the picnic tables as I scribbled down a handful of songs. As I was writing down the last song I felt hands drift down my arms. My blood began to boil as I thought it was that Grayson kid again, I was just about to elbow him in the balls when I saw a lock of familiar ginger hair out of the corner of my eye. I swiveled around kicking my legs childishly over the picnic bench till I was face to face with Jerome.

"Did I really scare you that much?"

"What do you mean?" I said in a flirty manner.

"You were about to hit me..." he looked at me with a confused look on his face, but then it dissolved into a dismissive look.

"I wasn't going to hit you. It's just, when someone touches me suddenly, I get fast reflexes." He smirked and made an mischievous face.

"That, my dear, may come in handy one day." He chuckled as he straightened up and held out his hand for me to take. I took it without hesitation and followed him to the platform.

"Have fun up there... I'll be watching..." He said with a wink as he walked over to an empty picnic table and plopped down. Never taking his eyes off of me. That in itself made me kind of nervous. The fact that Jerome would be watching me the whole time...

I grabbed the microphone and leaned back to the drummer to point to the song Feelin' Good by Nina Simone. The guitarist grabbed a trumpet and nodded at me. I giggled as I thought of how often I used to sing this song as a little kid.

Birds flyin' high, you know how I feel...  
Sun in the sky, you know how I feel...  
Breeze driftin' on by, you know how I feel...  
It's a new dawn, it's a new day...  
It's a new life for me yeah it's a new dawn   
It's a new day, it's a new life for me...  
Ooh... and I'm feelin' good...

The band started to play and I started to sway my body to the music. I heard the crowd of people start to lose their shit as they started to clap, cheer and whistle like crazy. I couldn't help myself so I glanced back up at Jerome, and oh boy am I glad I did. His jaw was dropped to the floor and he stared at me in complete awe. I definitely took that as a sign to keep going. Hell, if I am going to flirt, I'm gonna do it right. 

I winked at him right before I closed my eyes and started to sing again. I made sure to keep swaying my hips and to pay attention to every note I was hitting. I felt like I was the only person there. That's what music does to me. It gets me away from all the chaos and I can just be myself. I peeked out of the slits of my eyes and I saw Jerome staring at me like he wanted to run up on stage and kiss me. I chuckled internally and kept singing.

When I opened my eyes and finished the song, everyone shot up and applauded me immediately. Over the cheers and whistles I heard a "YEAH!!!", and I turned my head to see Jerome standing on his seat giving me a round of applause. I immediately started to blush as I was escorted off of the stage and was met by Al.

"Magnificent job Ms. Kingsworth. That's all for today. We just wanted to let you test the waters and see how you liked the crowds. Tomorrow, you can do a whole session. You can go hang out until we need you again."

"Thank you" I started to walk away and I started to scan the crowd of people for Jerome.

All of a sudden I felt those same arms wrap around my waist and a face nuzzle into my neck. I squeaked as I was slightly picked up and spun around. When I was put back down, I was turned around by the hips and met with a beautiful and familiar pair of green eyes peering down at me.

"Come with me... I want to show you something..." Jerome grabbed my hand and dragged me off to his surprise.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sup guys, I just want to really quickly say thanks for reading my book, it really means a lot to me<3 Also this chapter was really short so sorry about that. I will be posting the next chapter tomorrow ;)


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